While on Placement we are expected to cook for the children. I have found that making many different foods and introducing new flavours that the child may not have tried yet is a great way to find what the child likes and also gives them new foods to try (and hopefully add to foods they will eat). When introducing new foods It is never my expectation for the child to like and finish all of their food, but I do expect for the child to at least try a bite and then decide if they like the food or not. In this section, I will share some foods I have made while on placement and how they were rated by the children who ate them.
Chicken Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli
For dinner I made chicken and carrot meatballs with mashed potatoes and garlic butter broccoli. This dinner was liked by the toddler but was given after tea time at nursery so it was not eaten as well as some meals previously given. The toddler liked the broccoli the best.
Pepperoni Grilled Cheese with Oranges and Roasted Veggie Fries
For lunch today I made pepperoni grilled cheese strips with oranges and veggie fries. The toddler really enjoyed the sandwich and the way they were cut was perfect for the toddler to pick up and take bite-sized pieces. everything was eaten on this plate beside the carrots, this was good though as it helped me to see what the toddler likes and does not like for future meals.
Cottage Pie
For dinner this evening I made cottage pie. For the topping I made the mash half white potatoes and half sweet potatoes. Though I was not there for when the toddler ate the food the parents told me that the toddler enjoyed it and it was a perfect meal for working on spoon and fork skills.
Pepperoni Pizza Bites
This super easy and delicious recipe is a healthy alternative to traditional pizza. When I served these as a snack they were a major hit! They have lots of vegetables in them so I was so glad that B2 liked them.
Mini Stuffed Shells
For dinner tonight I served stuffed shells but made them mini to adapt to child-sized pieces. These were very well received by the toddler.
Ham and Vegetable Pasta Bake
Using lots of vegetables and ham tonight B2 and I made a pasta bake. B2 really enjoyed picking out the vegetables and helping to cut them and work on fine motor skills. B2 also seemed to enjoy this meal way more because they helped in making the food (The cheese in it also helped lol).
Cheesy Pizza Quesadilla
Tonight I made homemade vegetable-loaded red sauce and then made a pizza-inspired quesadilla with it. Since G10m is doing baby-led weaning she did really well with them cut into strips. This was a super quick dinner and she absolutely loved it!
Chicken Parmesan
For dinner tonight I used the same sauce from yesterday's quesadillas and made a baby-friendly chicken parmesan. G10m loves this meal and did really well with eating the penne pasta cut in half. G10m loved this meal.
Chicken with Mix Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
For dinner tonight I made G10m Chicken over white and sweet potato mash with a little bit of low-sodium gravy. G10m absolutely loved this meal and enjoyed practicing her spoon skills.
